Suction catheter



April 1968 I b. s. SHERIDAN 3,375,828

SUCTION CATHETER Filed April 15, 1965 "\IVENTOR DAVID S. SHEQIUAN United States PatentOfiFice 3,375,828 SUCTION CATHETER David S. Sheridan, Argyle, N.Y., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Brunswick Corporation, Chicago, 111., a corporation of Delaware Filed Apr. 15, 1965, Ser. No. 448,459 4 Claims. (Cl. 128-351) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE An airway suction catheter has a venting aperture near the proximal end thereof. Suction applied to the tube can be varied -by means of a flexible sleeve which is frictionally engaged with the outside of the catheter in overlying relation With respect to the aperture. The sleeve can be rolled back upon itself to gradually uncover the aperture. The suction in the tube is varied by the degree of coverage of the aperture by the sleeve.

The present invention relates to airway suction catheters and more particularly to a control for airway suction catheters.

Suction catheters have long been used for the aspiration of mucus from the nose, mouth, pharynx, trachea and bronchi of patients, and the control of the suction has been regulated by placing a thumb or finger over an aperture near the proximal end of the catheter when suction is desired. The present invention provides a suction catheter which can maintain suction while a doctor or nurse utilizes the hand which would normally close off a controlling aperture in the catheter for other operations. In addition, it can be easily opened up again to shut olf suction when desired. Although various methods have been tried in the past for shutting ofl the aperture in such suction catheters, these methods have had undesirable features and have not found a general usage in the medical arts. The present invention overcomes the difficulties of past devices for closing ofi' an aperture in a suction catheter by providing a flexible sleeve which can be easily rolled over an aperture or back off an aperture with a simple manual movement of a forefinger or thumb.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a new and improved suction catheter.

A further object is to provide a suction catheter having an aperture therein and a sleeve of flexible material which can be rolled back upon itself to uncover the aperture and can be rolled forward with a simple manual movement of a forefinger to cover the aperture.

An additional object is to provide a suction catheter having an aperture therein which may be either partially or completely covered by the movement of a flexible sleeve which can be rolled back upon itself for partial and complete suction control.

Further objects and advantages will become apparent from the following detailed description taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIGURE 2 is a perspective view of the embodiment of the invention illustrated in FIGURE 1 illustrating the operation of the control sleeve; and

FIGURE 3 is a sectional view of a portion of the invention illustrated in FIGURE 1.

While this invention is susceptible of embodiment in many different forms, there is shown in the drawings and will herein be described in detail, an embodiment of the invention with the understanding that the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification of the principles of the invention and is not intended to limit in its distal end which is connected to any 3,375,828 Patented Apr. 2, 1968 the invention to the embodimentv illustrated. The scope of theinvention will be pointed out in the appended claims v In administering suction-catheters it is desirable to control the amount of suction with one hand and to utilize the other hand in adjusting the distal portion of a catheter in :aninfant or child patient or to adjust the patient while administering suction. It is further .desirable at times to be able to apply either partial or full suction and yet have both hands free at least for a short period of time to make other adjustments of the distal end or the patient or for other manual operations. In the past, suction catheters having an aperture therein required that the doctor or nurse utilize one hand at all times in controlling the amount of suction being administered to the patient. The present invention now allows the doctor or nurse to roll a flexible control sleeve over the control aperture in a suction catheter to provide full or partial suction while both hands are utilized on other operations.

Referring now to the figures, an airway suction catheter generallyindicated at 10 is constructed of a flexible plastic. material and has a fusiform portion 11 adjacent a proximal end 12 and a distal end 14. The proximal end 12 is shown connected to a tube 15 by being inserted conventional suction device such as a suction pump (not shown). The transparent airway catheter-10 has an X-ray opaque line 16 embedded in its wall. The distalend 14 has an end opening 17. An aperture 18 is adjacent the distal end, and an aperture 19 interrupts the X-ray opaque line 16.

Referring particularly to FIGURE 1, a flexible latex sleeve 20 frictionally grips the external surface of the airway catheter 10 covering a control aperture 21 in the distal slope of the fusiform portion 11. When the catheter 10 is manufactured and prepared for shipment, the flexible latex sleeve 20 is rolled back upon itself as illustrated in FIGURE 3 so that it forms a ring 22 about the catheter at a point below the control aperture 21. The pressure of the rolled ring 22 about the catheter creates an annular depression 24 under the ring which subsequently holds the ring 22 and thereby the flexible sleeve 20 in place as illustrated. The suction catheter is packaged in a sterile container and removed just prior to its utilization.

When the catheter is removed from the sterile package the proximal end portion of the fusifiorm section is inserted in the connecting tube 15 to connect it to a suction device and the distal end 14 is inserted into a patient in the conventional manner well known in the medical art. The distal end of the tube 15 may then be held in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 2 so that the forefinger and thumb or either one of them can be used to control the amount of suction being applied to the patient by simple manual movement of the ring 22 of the sleeve 20. If no suction is desired, the sleeve 20 is left forming a ring 22 in the depression 24 as shown in full lines in FIGURE 2. When partial suction is required, the ring 22 is unrolled until it reaches a position such as is generally indicated by dashed lines at 30 in FIGURE 2. The unrolling of the ring is accomplished as illustrated by both thumb and forefinger or may be accomplished by either one individually. When full suction is desired, the sleeve may be completely unrolled as illustrated generally by the dash lines at 40 in FIGURE 2. Again either both thumb and forefinger or thumb or forefinger individually may be used to accomplish such control. In a like manner the flexible sleeve 20 may :again be rolled up to accomplish either partial or no suction. The depression 24 has a semipermanent set and is used as a means of limiting the rolling of the sleeve 20. If it becomes desirable to definitely locate the distal end of the catheter 17 in the patient, the

patient may be X-rayed and the path of the catheter traced by observing the X-ray opaque line 16 and the position of the dist-al end 14 may be determined 'by the interruption of the X-ray opaque line 16 by the aperture 19. Thus the present invention makes it possible to quickly provide suction, provide partial suction, or provide complete suction, while at the same time checking and maneuvering the distal end through the aid of X-ray techniques.

I claim:

1. An airway suction catheter and suction control therefor, compising a flexible, elongated tube having an annular wall, a distal end and a proximal end, an aperture in the wall near the proximal end of said tube for the admission of air to vary the suction eflect of said catheter, and a flexible, resilient and thin-walled sleeve surrounding said tube in the vicinity 01E said aperture and adapted to be manipulated by one hand of a physician or attendant to control the degree of opening of the aperture, said sleeve being normally rolled upon itself to some degree in the form of an annulus and extendible by rolling to various positions longitudinally of said tube to cover varying areas of said aperture and remaining in any position of adjustment without the necessity of being held to thereby free the hand of the physician or attendant.

2. An airway suction catheter and suction control therefor, comprising a flexible, elongated tube having a distal end, a proximal end and a f-usiform portion at its proximal end, an aperture in said fusiforrn portion for the admission of air to vary the suction effect of said catheter, and a flexible, resilient, thin-walled sleeve rolled upon itself in the form of an annulus surrounding said tube at the fusiform portion at a point spaced from said aperture, in the direction of the convergence of said 'fusif-orm portion, a distance less than the length of said sleeve when unrolled, said sleeve being unrollable in the direction of said aperture to extend in varying degrees over said aperture and hugging said tube throughout its entire circumference in any position of its rolled annular portion.

3. The catheter of claim 1 having a longitudinally extending line of X-ray opaque material embedded in the wall of said tube.

4. The catheter of claim 1 wherein said tube is of an elastomeric material, said sleeve is latex rubber, and said sleeve when in fplly rolled position creates an indentation around the tube.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 200,572 2/1878 Ruge 137223 X 602,917 4/1898 Scheirkman 12879 2,597,966 5/1952 Adler 128297 X 3,006,337 10/1961 Aquado 128-351 X 3,039,463 6/1962 Dickey et a1 128276 3,190,290 6/1965 Alley et al 128-348 3,304,936 2/1967 Kosta 12866 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,011,887 4/1952 France.

OTHER REFERENCES Argyle Catalogue, 1964, page 13.

DALTON L. TRULUCK, Primary Examiner. 

